Atlanta ? Fans in Atlanta are so starved for a decent NBA team that they turned to a proven winner Tuesday night. Unlike the hometown Hawks, Kobe Bryant did not disappoint.

Bryant scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, prompting Atlanta fans to chant “MVP! MVP!” as the Los Angeles Lakers pulled away for a 108-91 victory.

Shaquille O’Neal scored 31 points in 32 minutes and was able to rest the entire fourth quarter. The Lakers won for the third time in their last eight games away from Los Angeles.

Bryant turned the sellout crowd of 19,280 in his favor as he hit four consecutive three-pointers to turn an 11-point lead into a 99-80 margin with 4:59 remaining.

After missing his last three-point attempt at the 4:20 mark, Bryant left with a team-high 10 rebounds and six assists.

Glenn Robinson scored 22 points to lead the Hawks, who had won two in a row and five of eight. Jason Terry handed out 16 assists, but three of his five turnovers came in the third quarter as Atlanta fell behind for good. The Hawks never led after Robert Horry hit a pair of free throws to make it 67-65 with 4:09 remaining.

“Obviously, the turnovers in the second quarter gave them momentum, and we couldn’t get out of the hole,” Atlanta coach Terry Stotts said. “It seemed like the turnovers took away from any flow that we had offensively, gave them some life, gave them some easy baskets. It’s hard to push it when they’re on the free-throw line.”

Spurs 107, Bucks 94

San Antonio — Tim Duncan scored 31 points and Speedy Claxton had 12 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to lead San Antonio past Milwaukee.

Claxton came off the bench to replace starting point guard Tony Parker, who left because of a sprained wrist at the end of the first quarter. The third-year guard finished with career highs in assists and rebounds.

Sam Cassell led the Bucks with 19 points. Desmond Mason had 17, Tim Thomas 15, Michael Redd 15 and Gary Payton 12.

Los Angeles's Kobe Bryant dunks in front of Atlanta's Ira Newble. Bryant scored 28 points as the Lakers smoked the Hawks, 108-91, Tuesday in Atlanta.

Timberwolves 108,

Heat 91

Minneapolis — Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak scored 26 points apiece as Minnesota won its fourth straight and moved 20 games over .500.

Szczerbiak made 10 of 13 shots and Garnett went 10-for-15 for the Timberwolves (46-26), who hadn’t been this far over .500 since they were 40-20 March 5 last season. Garnett added eight rebounds and eight assists, ending his franchise-best streak of 19 straight double-doubles.

Cavaliers 124,

Warriors 103

Cleveland — Ricky Davis scored 28 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 23 as Cleveland won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Ilgauskas grabbed 10 rebounds, and Davis added 11 assists. Antawn Jamison led Golden State with 23 points, and Gilbert Arenas had 21.

Wizards 95,

Trail Blazers 91

Portland, Ore. — With former teammate Scottie Pippen watching in street clothes from the Portland bench, Michael Jordan scored 25 points as Washington held off a late rally.

The Wizards, fighting with Milwaukee for the final playoff spot in the East, snapped a three-game losing streak. The Blazers have lost four of six. Jordan added seven assists. Jerry Stackhouse scored 24 points.